In the 1960’s the all-pro football star Jerry Kramer wrote a best-seller called “Instant Replay.” In it he asks this provocative question, “What is my purpose here on earth besides playing the silly game I play every Sunday.” In the 1980’s Kramer wrote a sequel called, “Distant Replay.” It opens with the question: “What have I done with my life?” And that is exactly what the gospel today is asking each of us.
Someone wants Jesus to settle a family dispute over an inheritance. But Jesus refuses to get involved in a legal matter. Instead, he offers something far more important – a challenge to our hearts. We hear the parable of the rich fool. A man has a great harvest – too big for his barns! He builds bigger ones – “relax, eat, drink and be merry.”
Let’s pause here. This parable is not a condemnation of wealth. This man was not an evil man. He wasn’t cruel. He did not steal or cheat. But the rich man made three mistakes:
He forgot God. Nowhere in his plans is there even a mention of God or prayer, or gratitude, or generosity. He talks only to himself, about himself, for himself.
He forgot others. There is no mention of family or friends or neighbors, let alone the poor and needy. Just my crops, my barns, and my goods. A life wrapped up in itself becomes an exceedingly small package.
He forgot time. He said, “You have many years stored up.” But none of us know when our time will come. Life is fragile. The question is, if today were our last day, are we at peace with God?
In our world – where success is measured in dollars, titles, and square footage – this parable hits hard. Jesus ends by saying, “Thus it will be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.” So, what does it mean to be rich in what matters to God? It means to use our blessings – not just our money but our time, our love, our talents – not just for ourselves but in love for others. It means to live gratefully - recognizing everything is gift and the Giver is God. This living gratefully is not merely an attitude of the heart – it is an action of our hands. For example, today, we in good conscience, cannot sit with this Gospel and not think of the families in Gaza. Can we hear Jesus say, “Guard against all greed,” while children cry out in hunger, while parents search desperately for clean water and food. The people of Gaza are starving, but possibly the soul of this country is also starving if we do nothing.
You see, if you only live for yourself, for the present moment, you cease to exist when that moment passes away. But if you live for eternal values - if you live for what matters to God – mercy, justice, feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, lifting up the lowly - those who live for eternal values – those who live for what lies beyond them – they find their life going on and on for all eternity. The best use of life is to spend it on something that outlasts life.
May we NOT be fools who build bigger barns, while others perish in the shadow of their walls. May we be people who are rich in what matters to God.